Fixing my back, First post.

Last Tuesday I really hurt my back doing something that usually is a breeze for me, back squats. The fragility of my back has been getting worse lately and Crossfit doesn’t seem to be helping much. So today I visited a massage therapist recommended to me by a friend. The difference with David Dressler (RMT) is that he really focuses on looking at the root cause of the problem.

Anyways this is a summary of the things we found out:

1. My back is all twisted up, there are various places (will get more information on what section next week) that are curved
2. My lower back has a big twist in it, which is the reason why I can’t do a deadlift. My trainer says my lower back looks like it is seized, that’s why I can’t dead lift safely. Turns out it is because of of the disks is twisted and it doesn’t bend there. Hmm…
3. There is a twist in my hip so my left leg is shorter by about a quarter to half an inch than my right leg. This apparently is the root cause of the problems in my back. Since my hips are not level, when I lift, my back is not straight. The body naturally tries to keep the head level so in order to do that the spine forms into an S.
4. The muscles are now unbalanced so one side is stronger / weaker than the other. This further worsens the imbalance.

So what to do…

1. I need to deadlift less weight, and if I do deadlift, switch my grip. I usually have an left underhand, right overhand grip. I should change that, and do double on the other side to work on the imbalance.
2. Keep a journal of all work outs to see how they are affecting my back. Keep a record of all massage therapy sessions to see what kind of progress we’re making. I’ll use this blog, recording the work out, and observations of any pain or back aggrevation I felt.
3. Stretch and be more aware of the pain I’m feeling
4. Do exercises that strengthen the symmetry, watch out for imbalances.

What was interesting:

1. At one point the massage therapist put wedges at different locations under my hips. This realigned and straightened them correctly. I can’t even describe the feeling, it was like low pain for 20 years just went away, and there was clarity… like getting glasses.
2. Take care of yourself. It has been extremely frustrating not being able to make advances and even losing some gains at Crossfit. I hate making excuses, but sometimes a different approach and opinion helps. Listen to your body. There is a certain amount of pain, but not chronic pain. Ultimately you have to be your own best guide to what your body can take and what you need. Take expert opinions with some skepticism.

Even though today’s massage session was agonizing and not enjoyable it was very helpful. My massage session is on Friday and I’ll have a week of Crossfit before that. That’ll give me some time to find workouts that helps improve symmetry.